I remember that, msbelle—did you find it?

MAC HAD TAKEN THEM! THEY WERE ON HIS KEYRING!!!

While he was having a hissy fit last night after being a TOTAL JERK at my parent's house on Christmas, I got into his room while he was out and found his keyring to get his car key and THERE THEY WERE.

FUCKER!!

I bet he did not even know what the keys were to, just found them and took them when he was mad at me.

Aw, geez! Well I'm glad you got them back!

Oh, God. I only just saw David's update, due to today having been my day of back to work and a therapy session punctuated with my baby brother (the one with multiple myeloma, out in Portland, OR for his first trip outside the Tristate area since his diagnosis) getting hauled to a walk-in clinic for a lingering cough that is of course pneumonia. So David very kindly didn't tell me, but now I am reading it and I just want to throw up with rage and horror. Which will help no one, really, so I need to button that shit down and just not; but, still, queasy and aghast.

Also, missing Emmett and his boisterosity, and bummed about the whole going back to work again tomorrow thing. Also also, just realized that although I had a huge mug of coffee first thing in the morning, the coffee people at work never got around to replenishing the carafes so I missed second coffee, and now I am feeling all the tired that ever was.

Holy crap, David, that's awful. How bizarre -- it would be a funny story someday but right now it's just terrible.

Mac, stop being a tool.

As for me, I slept in and walked the dog and went climbing and bought dog food and got the beast a stuffed hedgehog which she adores, and I have a batch of croissant dough chilling in the fridge. Now I'm watching some of the holiday Bake Off episodes.

To add to the mood, FauxSon came over tonight for a Christmas visit. He's depressed because his marriage is slowly crumbling but not quite fast enough because his wife keeps saying she wants out but then says she doesn't. He's got nearly grown kids heading off to their own lives and his job is in "Will I have a job in six months?" chaos. Plus my beloved was one of his primary friends, and our friend who died a few months ago was his other primary friend. Our circle is pretty much wiped out, and he works too many hours to really get out and do things. I didn't tell him about my eye, because he consoles himself with thinking I'm fairly healthy and he worries. Hopefully some good things will get resolved his way.

That sucks, David. I'm sorry. Here's hoping you got a sale out of it at least.

Here's hoping 2019 brings goodness to us all.

Feel free to skip the tales of my misspent youth; this is for msbelle. I have so many tales, but this is a school one. 2 months into my senior year in HS at the age of 17 my boyfriend Gary and I decided we were eloping. He found out we could get married in Alabama at 16. He had a job and apartment lined up in New Orleans and we planned our escape. Over about 3 weeks I moved all of my clothes, jewelry, and most precious books to his place one little bundle at a time. I left every morning with Mom thinking I was going to school and went to his place. I had already quit HS telling them I was getting married. They apparently didn't call my parents about it. I had moved all of my things and they were packed in Gary's VW bus (such a hippie) and we were leaving the next day when my mother noticed my room was neat. My room was a complete disaster always with clothes strewn all over so she stepped into my room to admire the unusual state of cleanliness, and ooops, noticed my closet was empty. Then she found the letter I had written and had stashed in my desk letting her know all was cool and I would be fine. Well, that blew up with all of my stuff being removed from his vehicle and threats from my dad, and him going to New Orleans without me never to be reunited.

A few months later in my quest to get myself on my own to NOLA I met Bob and moved in with him. Not really expecting a real relationship, but figuring it was better than staying with the parents while trying to find a way south. He was only supposed to be in town for a short while anyway and I could get a ride to VA with him when he left, which right direction. Yeah, that never happened. I got a job as a waitress which lasted 2 weeks and realized I was not getting anywhere without some education. So I got my GED, three months before my HS class graduated. Who knew there was such an easy option! Figured out that I could access funds from the prior motorcycle accident settlement (from age 16 boyfriend shenanigans) for education purposes and enrolled in business school for accounting because I heard you could get a real job that way. 16 years later with credits earned in 4 different states and 6 institutions I got my BS from Nova with a 3.86 GPA. After failing out of HS and quitting.

My poor wonderful loving parents. I was so horrible. You could not tell me anything. But I did figure it out and was gainfully employed and housed from the time I was 18 to present day. Granted much of the parental role was assumed by Bob who taught me about things like paying bills and cooking and cleaning. I know the foundation my parents gave me of confidence, education, and moral example enabled me to figure things out and become successful despite the fact that at 17 I of course knew absolutely nothing.

As parents we have little to no control over the shenanigans our children may pursue. We can give them love, education, and encouragement, but it is on them to do something with it. Sorry Mac is such a jerk, but honestly I was a worse jerk. Know he will figure it all out and understand that he didn't know shirt when he was 17.

Wow, Laura! The shocking part of all of that is that you dropped out of school and no one called your parents!

In radically other news, I have a modern etiquette question: I'm going to stay with a friend and her family and thought to bring some cookies. But one of the kids is vegan, and the cookies surely are not. Is that rude?

So, last night I woke up in the middle of the night and checked my email as I often do when I need to fall back to sleep, and there was a threatening email from TCG's mother. Fun times.